State Park
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Video of Lake Kegonsa State Park (and Group Campground), Wisconsin
Lake Kegonsa State Park, established in 1962, is a 342 acre park on the shores of a 3,200 acre lake. The lake has excellent fishing for northerns and panfish. The lake was formed from glacial debris that dammed parts of what is believed to be an old river valley called the “Ancient Wisconsin River”. About 12,000 years ago the 4-Lakes of the Madison Area were formed: Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa. Lake Kegonsa, from the Ho-Chunk word meaning “Lakes of Many Fishes”, was referred to by early settlers as “First Lake”. A hiking trail near the family campground leads to a few effigy mounds built by Woodland Indians. There are 80 family campsites, three group campsites, two picnic shelters, fishing pier, boat launch, swimming beach, and a pet swim area. This video includes the group campground.
Lake Kegonsa State ParkLake Kegonsa State Park Campgrounds
Blog entries for Lake Kegonsa State Park
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Video of Mirror Lake State Park – Wisconsin Dells
Mirror Lake was formed by the old mill dam on Dell Creek near Lake Delton in 1860. Dell Creek is within the non-glaciated, or what is known as the driftless area of Wisconsin. Sandstone was formed from river deposits into shallow seas about 500,000,000 years ago, during the Late Cambrian geologic period. The rock outcroppings of Mirror Lake’s gorges are formed from weathered sandstone. Over the last 10,000 years Dell Creek cut gorges into the thick, soft sandstone rock. This 2,050 acre park lies within three miles of Wisconsin Dells and draws more than 200,000 visitors a year. The park has many miles of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking and nature viewing. The no-wake lake is ideal for canoeing and kayaking. There are 151 family campsites in three campgrounds, seven walk-in group sites for tents only, an accessible cabin for people with disabilities and a unique rental cottage designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Mirror Lake State Park Campgrounds
Blog entries for Mirror Lake State Park
Weather forecast for Mirror Lake State Park and vicinity
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Video of Wyalusing State Park – Bagley, Wisconsin
Wyalusing State Park sits on bluffs 500 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. Within the park’s 2,628 acres you will find hardwood forests, bluffs, springs, waterfalls, and spectacular vistas. You can see ancient Native American effigy mounds and imagine what the French explorers Marquette and Joliet thought about them as they became the first Europeans to set foot here in 1673. There are more than 23 miles of trails for hiking, biking and skiing. More than 100 bird species, including bald eagles, hawks, owls, and various waterfowl, can be observed during the spring and fall migrations. There are 109 family campsites, group tent campsites for 130 and a lodge/dormitory complex for 108 people. Nearby is the Villa Louis Victorian mansion. Across the river is the Effigy Mounds National Monument where you can observe 205 mounds considered as ceremonial and sacred sites by American Indian tribes.
Blog entries for Wyalusing State Park
Camping in Wyalusing State Park
Wyalusing State Park Campgrounds
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Video of Nelson Dewey State Park – Cassville, Wisconsin
Nelson Dewey State Park is a land of incredible vistas overlooking the Mississippi River valley. On the site is the home of Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey. His 2,000 acre plantation was considered the state’s first large scale farming operation. The governor’s first home was gutted by fire in 1873. The current building was built on the original foundation. Across the road, the State Historical Society operates Stonefield Village and the State Farm Museum. There are a number of effigy mounds constructed by the Hopewell Indian group along the bluff trails and overlooks in the 750 acre park. The trail through the dry lime prairie restoration along the edge of the overlook is very scenic. Tent campers will be impressed with the four walk-in sites overlooking the Mississippi River valley.
YouTube video of Nelson Dewey State Park
Nelson Dewey State Park picture gallery
Nelson Dewey State Park Campgrounds
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Video of Aztalan State Park – Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Aztalan State Park is one of Wisconsin’s most important archaeological sites. It contains an ancient Middle-Mississippian village and ceremonial complex that existed between A.D. 1000 and 1300. The site was rediscovered in 1835. In 1850 Increase A. Lapham investigated the site. It became a state park in 1952, a National Landmark in 1964 and listed in the National Registry of Historic Places in 1966. The occupants of Aztalan built large, flat-topped pyramid shaped mounds and a stockade around their village.
Aztalan; Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town by Robert A. Birmingham and Lynne G. Goldstein
Indian Mounds of Wisconsin by Robert A. Birmingham and Leslie E. Eisenberg
Excerpts from the Antiquities of Wisconsin by Increase A. Lapham, 1855 (electronic edition)
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Natural Bridge State Park, Leland, Wisconsin
Natural Bridge is a wind carved sandstone arch in Wisconsin’s “Driftless Area” near the village of Leland, WI. Native Americans lived in the rock shelter below the arch over 11,000 years ago when the Wisconsin ice sheet was approximately 12 miles away. Warren Wittry of the Wisconsin Historical Society conducted an archaeological excavation of the rock shelter in 1957. Some of the animal remains identified were passenger pigeon, elk, bobcat and mountain lion. The 530 acre park was established in 1972. It has two trails, but no camping.
Weather forecast for Natural Bridge State Park vicinity
Blog entries for Natural Bridge State Park
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Video of Devil’s Lake State Park – Baraboo, Wisconsin
Landscape architect, John Nolen, recommended in 1909 that this site be set aside for a park. Established in 1911, this 9,000+ acre park near Baraboo, WI draws over 1.2 million visitors a year. The 360 acre lake is spring fed giving fishermen, paddlers and swimmers a crystal clear water environment. The lake was formed by glacial activity during the last ice age. What was once the Wisconsin River is now a dramatic gorge cut off at the north and south ends by glacial debris. The quartzite rock formations of the park are over 1.5 billion years old and rise over 500 feet above the lake. The park takes its name from a mistranslation of the Ho-Chunk “Ta Wa-cun-chuk-dah, meaning “Sacred Lake”, “Holy Lake” or “Spirit Lake”. According to Ho-Chunk mythology the lake was the birthplace of the Buffalo Clan and is the site of the legendary battle between the water spirits and the thunderbirds. A number of effigy mounds are located throughout the park.
YouTube video of Devil’s Lake State Park
Devil’s Lake State Park images from the Wisconsin State Historical Society
Devil’s Lake State Park blog postings
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Video of Belmont Mound State Park and First Capitol Historic Site
The French called this 1,400 ft. hill “Belle Monte,” meaning “beautiful mountain.” Today, this day use park is run by the Belmont Lions Club. From the observation tower you can view parts of Iowa and Illinois. The Territorial Legislature held its first session at Belmont in 1836; then after two sessions in Burlington, IA the Legislature moved to Madison. On April 30, 1836 President Andrew Jackson commissioned Henry Dodge as Governor of the New Territory. Numerous on site exhibits relate the story of Wisconsin history and the role these modest buildings played in our past.
